More than seven years ago, PTC released Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3.0. Technology and design software have evolved a lot since 2005. In fact, more than we could reasonably cover in one post. So, we’ve split it into three.

If you’re curious about how we’ve changed, this series is for you. We’ll list all the key features added since you last upgraded. Everything from Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 to Creo 2.0.

Use these articles to browse what you’ve been missing. Or click the links and watch the videos to thoroughly explore how design software has advanced since Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3.0.

In this first segment, find out how we’ve updated working with assemblies, annotations, graphics, measuring, and the user experience. Plus, we’ll tell you about some new learning resources that step in when you need them most.

Assemblies

Working with assemblies has changed a lot since Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3.0. In fact, we’ve been adding improvements since 4.0.

Track changes capabilities to see exactly what has been modified within an assembly.sdf.
Work more quickly with streamlined new component placement constraints.
Save time and improve system performance by loading assemblies as Light Graphics representation.
Have more control with four new constraint types (normal constraints for surfaces, distance, angle offset, and normal constraints for points and lines).
Replace components in groups.
Animate exploded and unexploded sequences.

3D Annotation

In Creo 2.0, we’ve introduced several improvements for annotating 3D models.

Create and manipulate your annotations from a dedicated Annotation tab .
Create, step through, and better manage combined states, that is, predefined views of geometry with select annotations.
Create 3D annotations from existing model dimensions.
Control the cosmetic appearance of annotations on models.
Control the appearance of annotations to meet various drawing standards.
Dynamically reposition dimensions in 3D drawings, just like dynamic dimension repositioning in 2D Drawings

Here’s what 3D Annotation in Creo 2.0 looks like today, we compare it against Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5.0, but the comparison would be almost the same for 3.0:

Graphics

In Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0, we added several features to the graphic display to make your design efforts more intuitive.

Dynamically place textures.
See the active model.
Use transparent display to highlight obscured parts.

And in Creo 2.0,we take advantage of the latest graphics technology. The performance improvements are dramatic. See how Creo compares to Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire with both AMD and NVIDIA. Here’s both companies comparisons of their latest technology, comparing Creo Parametric with Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire.

AMD

NVIDIA

Measuring

In Creo 2.0, measuring geometry takes a leap forward with our unified measuring tool. The measuring dialog stays on screen as you inspect distances, volumes, areas, and more. It even populates all the measurement information for any reference that you select. In a comparison to Wildfire, Creo users opened 65% fewer menus to finish the same work.

User Experience

Finding your way around a new systems can be frustrating, especially when you’ve already become skilled at the old one. But in Creo 2.0, we made your success our priority.

Ribbon, hotkeys, and environment settings for configuring your workspace to your preferences.
Embedded command finder for quickly locating capabilities when you need them.
Intuitive 3D dragger, in-graphics toolbar, and mini toolbars for more efficient designing.

See these and other new UI features in this video: